Cruise Control
by shipstopper
Summary: COMPLETE: The Hammersley steams through a storm to head off a potential FFV when they make a gruesome discovery, that leads to one member of the crew in for the fight of their life as the they race to disrupt a terrorist plot on Australian shores.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is my first fanfic. It's great to read everyone's stories after the final season ended so I thought I'd give it a go! Set in Season 5. If you like it let me know and I'll add another chapter …AM**_

* * *

><p>The Hammersley crested up onto a wave and cascaded down again just as violently as she steamed into the oncoming storm. Word had come down from Navcom about a potential FFV spotted by Coastwatch some four hours previously and the Captain had given the order to head them off when the mother of all storms arrived in the Arafura Sea. Not wanting to risk broaching her, her Captain Mike Flynn decided to steam into it hoping to come out the other side in a few hours<p>

Executive Officer Kate McGregor sat in the COs chair, riding with the ship as she rolled up and down, crashing through the seas like a steel leviathan, the skeleton crew on the bridge bracing themselves with every pitch and toss. She was in desperate need of a coffee as the end of the second dog watch approached, but didn't want to risk pouring it all over herself. She'd had a lot on her mind lately and had been finding it hard to sleep, worried about her impending promotion (should she get it) and where to next and where that leaves that other thing…

She'd made a stand hadn't she? She had made her decision. She called it off. She didn't want to risk his career, that was more important to him than anything else and she wasn't going to be the one to destroy the one thing that defined him. She couldn't. He had meant enough for her to at least allow him that. _Had meant._ She knew she was kidding herself. The ship crashed down again on a particularly large wave and sent the X careering forward, catching herself before she slammed into the radar.

"Lovely day for it X," Commander Mike Flynn at that moment stepped onto the bridge. "Who has the ship?"

"I have it sir and if you say so," Kate replied as she struggled back into the COs chair.

"Where are we on the FFV?"

"We're about 95 miles off course at this stage, steering 220. I expect we'll be out the other side of this storm in another hour sir but the FFV could be anywhere by then."

"Anything on radar?"

"Yes sir, there is one ship on screen but they've gotta be too far off course to be our guy."

"How fast is she going?"

"That's the funny thing, 6 knots, do you think they've got engine trouble?"

"If they do they'll find themselves in trouble in this storm. How far to steam Dutchy?

"At her rate sir we can be there in 30 minutes,"

"It's worth a shot. Starboard 10 Steer 020."

"Starboard 10 020 aye"

30 minutes later Hammersley came out the other side of the storm, and the sea was suddenly calm and still as if it had been like that all along. The call went out:

"Hands to boarding stations. Hands to boarding stations. Hands to boarding stations."

...

The RHIB sped across the short distance between the Hammersley and her target making quick speed to pull alongside the ageing FFV in about two minutes flat. The boarding party quickly stepped on board, weapons drawn as they cautiously made their way from aft to stern. The vessel was barely seaworthy from what Kate could gather, part of the upper deck clearly falling away to show through to the galley below.

"Watch the deck guys the boards are fairly rotten," the X had barely called out to her team when the ground she was walking on fell away and before she knew it she was falling...


	2. Chapter 2

With a thud, well more like a squelch, the X landed on a pile of rotting fish. The wind was momentarily knocked out of her more from fright than from the actual fall and she regained her ground quickly to take a look around her.

The hold was pitch black save for the beam of light coming in through the hole in the deck above, and the smell was the first thing that overwhelmed her. It smelled like the time Spider and Buff ended up in a pile of sharkfin, but a hundred times and worse and worse still...she was in it instead.

...

"X!" Dutchy called out frantically as he heard the crack and saw the X plummet through the deck. He scrambled over to where he'd last saw her and looked down through the human-sized hole that was now where the X once stood.

"I'm all right" the voice called up to him as Dutchy saw her standing on a pile of rotting fish about two metres below. They had already been filleted and she slipped again on the blood and guts oozing out over the floor of the hold, trying to gain a purchase.

"Yeah and you stink" Dutchys grinning face stared down at her as she slipped and fell trying to gain a purchase in the fish-filled hold.

Two-Dads and the RO had already made their way around the rest of the ship and arrived back on deck to report nothing of interest, and surprisingly nobody on board.

"That doesn't make any sense" the X confusingly said, and was reaching up a hand to Dutchy to get him to haul her the hell out of there when she spotted something propped up against the far corner.

Holding a hand to her nose she asked Dutchy to pass down a torch.

"What is it X?"

Kate grabbed the maglight and pointed it in the direction of the object that had caught her eye and a puzzled look crossed her face as she struggled over slippery ground to take a closer look.

"I'm not sure Dutchy, something's out of place...there's something back here."

Slipping over the blood and guts filled hold Kate edged her way closer to the far corner...


	3. Chapter 3

In the far corner heavy cotton sails like the kind you would see on an old outrigger were piled up, along with an array of mast rigging and lines. Unusual, Kate thought, why would an FFV have any kind of sail rigging...

Kate edged closer and shone the torch further along the wall. The stench in the hold by this point was getting almost unbearable and she was trying not to breathe too deeply for fear of dry retching. The smell gagged in her throat, and the air was so thick and heavy with heat and moisture that made her cough as she tried to get better oxygen…but failing, when her radio crackled to life.

"X-Ray 8-2 this is Charlie 8-2. Sit-rep."

Silence.

"X-Ray 8-2 this is Charlie 8-2, sit-rep over"

"Charlie 8-2 this is X-Ray 8-2, sir...I'm in the hold of the ship. Standby" Kate's halting voice cracked through the radio and echoed through the thick air as she took quick short breaths reaching forward towards the rigging.

"X, what can you see?" Dutchy had his head halfway through the hole trying not to lose sight of his boarding officer.

Kate grabbed the mail sail and gave it a large tug. A second later she let out a huge yelp as it gave way and she was knocked over, a dead weight pinning her to the floor of the hold.

"X!"

...

She couldn't breathe…..her chest was being crushed…. as she struggled against the very large and very dead man on top of her who was very much in a state of decomposition. She could feel the softness of his skin, oozing…the smell permeating her senses. Next to him were another two bodies, equally dead and equally gruesome in their appearance, so bloated and disfigured that she could not tell anything about them other than their shoes. And behind them lay the body of a young girl, or what was left of her. Her jaw was blown away and only her cold blue eyes were left, staring straight at the X.

Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest and a total feeling of panic spread over her, rushing through her body and down her arms and legs, making her hands tingle. In the blackness, she pushed the dead weight off of her and in short quick panicky rasps she pushed herself backwards, crying out and stumbling and falling over the blood, not blood of the fish but clearly that of the dead, slipping and falling with every movement...heart pounding...trying to breathe...reaching out to the beam of light at the other end of the hold.

"X!"

"Dutchy...we've got bodies down here! At least...ahhh" she sucked in a mouthful of racid air as she struggled to breathe… "at...at least four, mm..maybe five. They're pretty far gone. God, get me outta here!"

With a swift strong pull, Dutchy had a hold of the X's hand and was swinging her back towards the upper deck.


	4. Chapter 4

"Charlie-8-2 this is Bravo-8-2 copy over"

The X was leaning over the side of the boat, throwing her dinner up into the ocean and sucking in mouthfuls of fresh clean oxygen.

"Bravo-8-2 what is going on, report," the Captains voice came through short and sharp, and Dutchy could tell he wanted answers.

"Sir, we've got bodies on board. X thinks four maybe five down in the hold. Looks like they've been there for a while"

"Bodies? Are they that of the fisherman? Over."

Dutchy looked over at X questioningly, who was by this stage leaning against the ships rail absolutely covered head to toe in red, except for her face, which was an unusual shade of white.

She shook her head, "no, definitely not foreign fishermen" she said haltingly, as she gasped and retched again. "Definitely not. One had on a gold watch, some rings, nice shoes..." she trailed off and heaved over the side again. Two Dads handed her a bottle of water, which she gratefully downed and preceded to splash over her face and hands, trying to wash away the blood and stench.

It was then that she noticed something on the side of the ship. A bright red trail of blood trickled over the deck, down the side of the hull and ended at the water's edge.

"Dutchy" she beckoned him over and pointed at the new discovery.

"Charlie-82 this is Bravo 8-2, X think's not sir. And there looks like a blood trail over the side of the ship. We could have a body in the water."

"Roger that. Leave a watch onboard, we'll have to inform the federal police. The rest of you return to the ship. Out."

…

Mike Flynn was waiting for them when they stepped back on board the Hammersley. The X, plastered in blood, gave him a weak smile as she stepped out of the RHIB.

"You look different X, done something with your hair?" as the captain gave her a sympathetic smile.

She gave him a tired look, and his expression immediately turned to a serious note.

"So if they're not foreign fishermen, then who are they?"

"I don't know sir. But they had on some pretty nice clothes; one had an expensive watch, nice rings. One was a young girl, around 14, 15 maybe. They definitely didn't belong on that boat. It was a rust bucket, barely seaworthy sir, not the type of ship someone with that kind of money would be seen on."

"Well, we'll need to organise a search for a possible body recovery..." Mike trailed off and looked pensively over to the supposed FFV and then back to his X, his gaze lingering there for a moment at her shocking appearance, a look of concern starting to spread across his features.

"Why don't you go and get cleaned up I'll inform Navcom," he said softly as he gently pushed her towards the rear hatch.


	5. Chapter 5

Kate stepped back onto the bridge feeling like a new woman. The smell was still kind of lingering in her nostrils, more from memory probably than from any real odour, but at least her hair was clean and the blood all washed away. She couldn't help but see the eyes of the dead girl, piercing right though her, whenever she had a lonely thought. God, she was so young. How did she end up in the hold, with those men, with half her face blown away? Her heart wrenched at the thought of such a young life lost…

"You look remarkably better X," Dutchy handed her a steaming cup of coffee which she gratefully accepted, and it also gratefully brought her out of her thoughts.

"Where are we with the search?" getting straight to business, Kate wasn't all that keen on discussing the events of the last hour, something not lost on the Captain, and he gave her a soft smile.

"We've traced their probable movements over the last day, but given the state of the bodies it could have been several days since they went in the water. I'm not all that confident of finding anyone."

"More likely they're fish food sir" the Radio Operator piped in.

"Thank you RO"

Dutchy rolled his eyes whenever the RO had nothing significant to add to any conversation but chose to voice his opinions out loud anyway. Once he even caught the captain doing the same thing.

"Red 10 far" came the shout from the upper deck, where Bird had been on watch for the past hour, scanning the seas with binoculars, looking for any hint of their target.

The captain grabbed his binos and looked in the direction of her pointing finger. In the far distance a small inflatable boat bobbed up and down on the quiet sea, a single hand dangled over the side, blood clearly smeared on the white skin of the rubber boat.

"Slow ahead both engines. Prepare for recovery"

…

Leaning out over the ships rail, Charge, with a long boat hook stood, reaching over the side of the Hammersley to try and make purchase on the inflatable dinghy, throwing and dropping and dragging until at last he hooked onto the bow rope to pulled the dinghy towards the side of the ship.

At that moment, a movement of hand suddenly got Dutchy's attention...

"Sir, they're alive!"

Charge and Dutchy reached over and grabbed the woman, who was sodden and cold despite the warm air of the north Australian sea. She had a gash in her leg, which had crusted over and her lips were dry and scorched and it seemed she may have been afloat for several days. As they pulled her on board, everyone froze.

"What is it?" The captain pushed his way through the boat deck crew to meet Dutchy's shocked expression.

"Sir...it's...it's Madeline Cruise."


	6. Chapter 6

Coxswain Chris Blake was frantically trying to calm down Madeline Cruise who was hysterically failing her arms about in the makeshift medical facilities that was the wardroom of Hammersley.

She was trying to speak, but her lips were so swollen from several days of ocean sun all that came out was a garbled moan. He was attempting to put an IV in her arm while Bird struggled to hold her steady, unsuccessfully.

"neee….new…" was the only thing she managed to say before unconsciousness succumbed her.

In the corridor some of the crew had gathered, Kate and Dutchy both curious to find out what Madeline Cruise was doing in a rubber dinghy in the middle of the ocean, and what she was doing on a rusted out fishing boat with four dead bodies.

Dutchy had a bad feeling about it, and it didn't surprise him in the least to see that woman involved. She was dodgy, of that he was certain. Just what was her role in all of this…

…

Kate was leaning against the Captains door, while he finished his conversation with Navcom. A tight frown line etched across his forehead, as he turned and looked up at the X.

"I take it the news from Knocker isn't good."

He allowed himself a wry smile, "Don't ever let her hear you call her that, and no. The FFV is indeed and FFV, except as of four days ago it was under tow from HMAS Kingston. They had to drop the tow line due to the storm. They had already transferred the fishermen to their ship, but as to how four dead bodies ended up in the hold is anyone's guess."

"I'd like to know who they are." Kate said soberly. "One was just a young girl…" she trailed off, staring at a spot above the COs head, her thoughts flashing back to those cold blue eyes…to her face, she just couldn't get that image out of her mind.

"X…" Mike could see what she was thinking and he put a soft hand reassuringly on her forearm. "…Kate" he almost whispered it, and he felt a flash of heat spread across his cheeks, that he looked away.

"I know. It's just that she…she was so young, and clearly her injuries were, were so horribly violent. I just can't imagine why a girl like that ended up in that hold."

"We can't know. But we can find out…"

And with a swift movement the CO was up and heading out the door towards the wardroom. The X, seconds behind, all thoughts about the girl vanished as she thought of only one thing. What was Madeleine Cruise doing on that boat.

…

"I'm sorry sir but she's still unconscious," was the Swaino's answer to the Captain's questioning stare as he rechecked her blood pressure again.

"Blood pressures normal, and there's no reason why she should still be out except to say, pure exhaustion. She's been out in the elements for at least two days sir."

"Did she say anything at all?" the CO hoping at least for some answers.

"No sir, she tried, but then she was pretty out of it."

At that moment the RO tapped on the door, a serious look on his face. The again, the RO always had a serious look on his face, which gave nothing away.

"Sir, the Feds have identified your mysterious dead bodies" and he handed over a manila folder with several pictures inside. "And Commander White is on the secure line for you sir…"

…

"Maxine. I've got the photos, what am I looking at?"

"Mike, one of the deceased on the FFV has been identified at Mohammad Ahmen, the brother of Uday Ahmen, a Pakistani arms dealer and all round bad guy. He's wanted on suspicion of playing a role in the bombing of a US embassy in Kenya several years ago."

"How the hell did his brother end up dead on an FFV?"

"We're not sure Mike. All we know is Madeline Cruise has been working on tracking him for the last several months, hoping it would lead to Uday. I have been informed that he is involved in a suspected terrorist plot here on Australian soil. We don't know how or when, all we know is he may be attempting to bring in nuclear explosives."

"For a dirty bomb…? Mike's eyes widened at the thought.

"Possibly. And it's possible his brother was his contact on the Australian side. He and his family became Australian citizens almost ten years ago. Coastwatch found his yacht, mastless, no sails and no sign of a struggle on deck about 200 nautical miles from your position. The Kingston is steaming there now. What I do know is we need to find out what Cruise knows."

"We're trying Maxine, she's still unconscious."

"Ok, keep me apprised and fair winds Mike."

…

Kate couldn't sleep. The girl. Her eyes. Her face. Her jaw, blown away. She got up and made her way to the officer's mess for a welcome cup of tea. As she passed the wardroom, she heard only silence, so stuck her head in through the door. Madeline Cruise was…where was she!

'Swain!" Kate called out to the first medic. Where is he! She moved quickly up the passageway, looking in the senior sailors mess and then making her way to his rack. At that moment a slightly sleepy and even more slightly dishevelled Mike Flynn stuck his head out of the COs cabin towards the noise up the passageway.

"What's going on X?"

"Cruise is gone, Swaino's nowhere to be found!" she exclaimed, and just as suddenly, a loud groan could be heard coming from the officers mess. Kate rushed in to find the Swain holding his head, a look of surprise and confusion spreading across his features.

'Cruise.." was all he managed to get out before a startled Mike, half dressed, shouted "check the boat deck!" as he made his way to the gun lock up, Dutchy by then a few close seconds behind him.

Kate ran up the passageway and out the rear hatch, quickly working her way to the boat deck, her senses agitated and heightened in the cool night air. Surely….surely she can't be…but before she even had time to look towards the RHIB darkness reigned down and Kate McGreggor slumped down onto the deck.

...

**_Hope you're enjoying the story so far...if so would love to know what you think! Please review._**


	7. Chapter 7

Madeline Cruise hit her with a swift movement so fast the X didn't even see it coming. It was all her training, Cruise thought, as she laid a solid and sounding blow behind the X's ear with the steel handle of a knife and watched her slump down onto the boat deck. She jumped immediately to the controls of the crane and manoeuvred the RHIB over the ships side in a bid to make her escape. She grabbed the X by her collar, her head lolling to one side as Cruise dragged her backward, she might come in handy she thought, given it won't be long before she has company…

In that instant Mike Flynn came flying out of the rear hatch dressed only in his skivvies, pistol raised and pointing it straight at Madeline Cruise, who at that moment had hoisted Kate backwards and up, the knife pressed firmly to her side as she started to stir.

"Don't do anything stupid Cruise; you can't get away from here."

"You underestimate me Commander. I am definitely getting away from here," Madeline's voice was cool and cold and definitely in control.

Dutchy at that moment stepped cautiously out onto the boat deck, taking up a position to his Captain's right, trying to reduce the distance between him and Madeline and the RHIB.

"Lower the knife," Mike's strained voice cut through the night air as he aimed his pistol right at her.

"Lower your gun," Cruise shouted back, and in a quick sharp movement she had the tip of the blade resting directly against Kate's skin, poking a hole through her uniform. Kate, stiffening in that moment, her face looking anxiously at Mike Flynn, her breaths coming in quick and fast, a mist forming around her mouth at every exhale as her breath hit the cold night air.

"You don't want to do that Cruise. Just lower the knife and let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about." And just as quickly she added, "don't do anything stupid Dutchy," as she glanced over at the Bosun who was slowly edging forward.

"Drop the guns! You only get one chance Flynn," she shouted as she started to dig the knife into the X's side, just under her kidneys, the knife going in a mere centimetre causing the X to let out a loud groan.

"Ok… ok," he said as he began to lower his weapon slowly to his side. "Dutchy," he looked over questioningly at his Bosun to do the same.

"Do as she asks." Dutchy gave a scowl in her direction, and threw the gun down onto the boat deck.

The Captain's demeanour stayed strong, his piercing eyes showing only the briefest flicker of fear as the X tensed against the blade, she could feel the blood seeping down the inside of her uniform as the steel knife glinted in the moonlight.

"Now, kick it over."

"Come and get it," Mike said rather threateningly, knowing the advantage was entirely on her side.

"Don't test me Flynn, I'm the one with a blade in your girl," as she pushed it in another centimetre, the X let out sharp groan as her legs started to give way.

"Wait! Stop…here…" more fear flickered into his eyes as he kicked the gun over to where Madeline was standing and she bent down and grabbed it, throwing the X into the RHIB.

Within an instant she was out and away into the night, and they were gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Kate woke up with a start as a splash of water was thrown over her face, soaking her collar and trickling down over her chest. Her eyes fluttered open to the scene that lay before her.

Her arms were bound and tied above her head, hanging off a boat hook from the ceiling and she could hardly reach the floor, her bare feet slipping in the bilge water as she attempted to carry her weight to ease the pain in her arms as they pulled from their sockets. Her discomfort clearly showing as she tried and twisted in vain against the bonds cutting into her wrists. Her side, where the knife had gone in, ached with every turn.

"Don't bother," Cruise's cold eyes stared hard into her.

Where was she? As her eyes adjusted to the dimness she could see she was in the hold of a ship. A fishing boat? An FFV? That would explain how they were getting around. Discarded fishing nets lay in one corner, and in another a covered pallet sat with one Uday Ahmen leaning casually against it, looking in her direction.

He lit a cigarette, and slowly exhaled the smoke into the damp air. He looked at Cruise, a smile forming on his lips as he sauntered over to kiss her on the cheek.

"You've done well," he said to Cruise, his Middle Eastern accent coming across thick and heavy, his eyes as cold as the object of his affection. His expression of admiration quickly changed to one of darkness, as he looked with a steely glance at his captive hanging helplessly from the boat hook.

"Lieutenant McGregor..." a silent pause cut through the air, "such a pleasure to have you on board with us. But what I want to know is how much the navy knows about my operation." His voice was so soft and calm as he whispered into her ear that Kate never saw it coming. He immediately slammed his fist into her stomach, and an exhale of breath was driven out of her as she lost her footing on the ground and let out a moan as her arms pulled tight against the bonds.

"Lieutenant…you really should be more cooperative. I'll ask you again. How much does the navy know?" he cocked his head sideways waiting for her answer and when one was not forthcoming, he slammed his fist into the side of her cheekbone, knocking her head back, and out. He wiped the blood off of his ring using the bottom of her shirt which was hanging loosely about her waist.

…."Lieutenant….lieutenant…" he cooed gently as he slapped her face from side to side. "Damn it," he'd hit her too hard.

"It's possible they know nothing, Uday, if they did they'd be here by now. We should carry on as planned."

"As planned? He spat into the bilge water that had gathered in the v of the hold. "Nothing has gone to plan!" Cruise could see his anger in his face as he made reference to his brother.

"My own brother…" he spat again before his voice changed down a knot. "Did they suffer?" he looked questioningly at Cruise.

"Yes" was her only answer, and with that he turned and climbed up the ladder and out of the hold and the Australian flagged fishing vessel, The Newton, steamed full speed ahead towards HMAS Cairns.


	9. Chapter 9

Mike's eyes stared frantically at the radar screen hoping for a green dot to flash and disappear and then flash again as the radar's beam completed the full circle. But nothing appeared. He had just gotten off the phone with Navcom, who reported Mohammed Ahmen was the majority owner of an Australian fishing fleet based out of Darwin. Mike was pacing on the bridge, his thoughts constantly flashing back to the boat deck, to Kate…_Kate._ A knife cutting into her body, her eyes looking right at him….her fear. He swallowed his own fear down, and barked;

"RO, have you got that list of vessels owned by Ahmen?"

"Yes sir. There are twelve in his fleet sir."

"Twelve!" Mike's voice rang out across the bridge in disbelief.

"Yes sir, twelve. Five are currently in port, with another seven at sea sir. But only three are reportedly meant to be in the vicinity…The Maurader, The Hunter and The Newton."

"The Newton?" Swaino's eyes we're overcome with an expression of knowing as he looked at the Boss. His own head was still pounding from where Cruise had knocked him out, but he stayed on the bridge, he felt in some ways responsible. He should have been more careful.

"Spit it out Swain."

"Sir the Newton, it's possible….maybe that was what Madeline Cruise was trying to say before she went unconscious."

"Why would she give us the name of the ship?" The CO almost spat the words out at his Coxswain. "Clearly she's been playing a subversive role in all of this."

"I dunno sir, maybe she didn't know what she was saying? She was pretty out to it when we first got her on board."

"Well, we don't have a lot of other options. Get Coastwatch in the air as soon as dawn breaks, I want to find that ship!"

…

Mike returned to his cabin to collect his thoughts together. He ran a tired hand over his face, and looked in the mirror. He almost didn't recognize himself. Several hours had already passed since he watched the X disappear into the darkness and daylight had dawned already over the hull of his ship, warming the grey decks, steam rising where the heat of the morning sun hit the cold steel. His forehead was creased in a frown, his eyes showing the worry that he felt throughout his entire body. He sighed, and sat down on his rack for the first time since he awoke to the X's frantic calls several hours earlier. His legs weakened as a momentary wave of fear coursed down through his body. He should have been on the boat deck first. God. What if…he didn't want to think about it.

At that moment came a quick knock at the door and Dutchy poked his head into the boss's cabin. "Sir, Coastwatch have some coordinates for us on The Newton." He looked at his CO, who regaining his composure, cleared his throat and started for the bridge.

"She'll be ok sir," Dutchy said quiety, giving the boss a knowing look as he stepped out of his cabin.

"Let's hope so, Dutchy. I just wish..." His voice broke softely as he trailed off..."if anything happens to her." Dutchy placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It won't boss. We'll just have to make sure that we get there in time."

The Captain nodded quietly, and they made their way quickly up to the bridge.

…

On the bridge, the Captain barked out the order to steer in the direction of the Newton's last known position, "How far to steam, Charge."

"Six hours give or take sir."

Six hours! Mike looked at his watch, everyone on the bridge reading the look passing over his face. He snapped back out of it and snapped back to Charge.

"I don't want give or take Charge, I want full power. Give me all she's got."

"Yes sir!"

And with that the Hammersley surged forward through the seas, leaving a tremendous swell and turbid water bursting in her wake.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Kate awoke again and blinked into the darkness. The ship had slowed and was almost at a standstill as it gently rolled from starboard to port on the quiet sea swell. She wasn't sure how long she had been out for, but her face was still burning where Uday Ahmen had slammed his fist into her cheekbone. And Cruise. She let out a sigh. Cruise was in it all along. She felt a sense of betrayal, she felt like a fool…for her crew and for herself. The thought made her feel sick and she wondered what could possess a woman to so violently go against her country.

In the corner of the hold, she could see movement up and down. Men were going up and down the ladder and out the hatch as they moved the goods on the pallet. She blinked again, trying to improve her vision, and saw the object of their desire. Semtex. Cases of it. She let in a sharp intake of breath as the ship suddenly rolled starboard, and she lost her footing, the rope cutting further into her wrists.

Madeline Cruise's voice cut through the dark, sneering in her direction. "Well Lieutenant I guess this is where our fun will end," as she passed another case of semtex up through the hatch.

Kate opened her mouth to try and form the words, but nothing came out but a soft moan.

Cruise wandered over, almost casually, as if they could have been two girlfriends meeting at a bar. Except for her eyes. Her cold eyes were not that of a friend.

"I guess you're wondering why? How could I? How could I not?" She spat the words out at the X with a look of pure hatred in her eyes.

"I've worked as an undercover agent for ASIO for over ten years," she sneered "and in that time, I've had threats, and danger, and the Australian government said well that's all part of the job Madeline. Don't worry Madeline, we'll make sure you and your family are protected. But when a bomb ripped through my brother's home, murdering him, his wife and their new baby do you know what the Australian government said? Casualties of war." She spat that last sentence out at Kate as if she was drinking vinegar. "Well…I'll show them what causalities of war means."

And with that she went back to her work, hauling the semtex out of the hold and up into the daylight.

…

Twenty minutes later, they were done, the pallet now an empty board of wood. Kate blinked at them in the darkness as they shuffled around at the other end of the hold. What were they doing? Her stomach turned as she saw the light of the hatch closing shut for the last time and in the brief few seconds of daylight streaming through she realized. There were plastic explosives attached to the bottom of the hold.

…

A sense of urgency overwhelmed her as she struggled against her bonds, twisting frantically this way and that, to loosen at least one rope, but the more she twisted, the tighter they became, and blood was now trickling down her forearm from where the ropes had opened up a gash on her wrist. She knew they were going to sink the ship, and if the plastic explosives detonated while she was in the hold, she would be gone in an instant, consumed in her metal prison…nothing would be left. But the ropes wouldn't budge, and with her last ounce of energy sapping from her body she gave up and slumped into what slack lay in the chain holding her to the boat hook, her head drooped in pure exhaustion as she welcome the blackness in.


	11. Chapter 11

As the Hammersley steamed through the early afternoon sun, Mike Flynn sat in the Captain's chair, his mouth resting against his hand, staring out across the wide blue ocean. All he could think about in the past five hours had been her. It was taking so damn long to reach her, he was starting to lose his patience and even the crew had noticed this and were giving him a wide berth, but all just as eager to get there.

"We've got something on the EOD," Charge's voice urgently rang out across the bridge and when he got no response, he impatiently snapped out a sir.

"Sir!"

Mike looked up, quickly torn away from his thoughts, "What have we got?" his voice cracked out of his silence so sharply that he almost didn't recognize it.

"It's The Newton sir. She's dead in the water."

He went over to where Charge was looking at the screen, to see for himself.

"There doesn't appear to be any movement on deck, sir. She looks abandoned."

"Charge, you have the ship. Dutchy, I'm leading this one. Pipe boarding stations."

"But sir, without the X… you should really stay on board sir," Charge started to protest but one look from the boss stopped his sentence in mid-stream and he called into the loudspeaker.

…

"Away seaboat. Away seaboat," and with secondary's off, Thunder sped across the ocean's gap between the Hammersley and her elusive target.

…

The CO, Dutchy, RO, Swain and Two-Dad's gingerly stepped aboard the fishing vessel, The Newton, guns drawn and silently searched the upper decks, finding no one.

Mike beckoned to Dutchy to take the lower decks, and together they edged their way down the passage, searching room by room, calling the X's name, pausing and waiting to hear a response. But, there was none.

As he entered each cabin, Mike hoped to stumble across her, but as they cleared each room one by one and got down to the end of the passageway; his hopes were starting to fade. His mind started running through the different scenarios that could have possibly happened between now, and when he last saw the XO disappear in the RHIB. What if they threw her overboard and he has just spent the past six hours steaming away from her!

As they searched the engine room, still not finding a soul, their faces started showing signs of the strain and stress of the last 24 hours.

"She's not hear sir," Dutchy's voice rang out across the quiet space, looking around him as if she might magically appear in front of him.

Suddenly, Mike was striding towards the other end of the room…to a hatch. He looked frantically at his Bosun and together they grabbed the heavy metal door and hoisted it up. Shining his flashlight into the hold, he could see the metal bow of the ship, the bilge water sloshing this way and that as the ship lolled from right to left and back again.

Gingerly, he stepped onto the rusted ladder, and taking a few steps down he shone his torch towards the other end of the hold, the beam of his light reflecting off a steel chain, the steel chain attached to his XO!

"Dutchy, she's here!" with a mixture of relief and fear creeping into his voice, he quickly stepped down the three metres of ladder coming to rest at the bottom, in the guts of the ship. It was then that he saw it. Wires, detonators and plastic explosives attached to the metal bow. They've rigged it to blow!

He shone his light up into Dutchy's face who was waiting apprehensively at the entrance of the hatch.

"Get out of here Dutchy! Get the crew off now!" the bosses voice floated up to him in short sharp breaths, "We've got an explosive device on board…go…go…go"

Dutchy spoke quickly into his radio, calling the others to make for the RHIB. But instead of going up the ladder, the CO ran to the other end of the hold, towards Kate. Her body was still slumped against the chain holding her to the boat hook and she didn't stir, even when he called out her name.

"Kate. _Kate" _he whispered frantically as he tried to untie her wrists, but she didn't move. Running out of time, he changed tack and simply lifted the chain right off the boat hook and her bound hands fell limp over his head as he carried her to the other end of the hold, up the ladder and towards the light.

Running along the passageway a short distance behind Dutchy, he could feel the panic in his chest, pounding as he struggled up and out onto the deck and within an instant, a loud explosion rocked The Newton to her core and the surrounding area gave way to splinters of wood and metal flying through the air.


	12. Chapter 12

The force of the explosion knocked him violently to the ground with a thud, landing directly on top of the XO whose eyes shot open at the sudden shock to her body. She looked up to see Mike Flynn staring down at her.

"Get him off me," she cried, not realizing the extent of the events happening around her, only recognising the weight of his body pressing down on her like that of the dead man on the FFV. It gave her such a fright but before she could say another word, with one swift movement Mike Flynn was up, with her in his arms, running towards the RHIB.

"Go go go" and with all on board the RHIB, they sped back in the direction of the Hammersley as another explosion rocked the Newton again, this time delivering the final death knell. She began to list to starboard and within five minutes was at the bottom of the Arafura Sea.

…

With Swain in tow, the CO carried her into the wardroom and laid her down on the table. Her wrists were still bound and attached to the metre or so of thick chain that hung like a noose across her body. Her mouth was so dry, she could hardly speak and Bird lifted her head gently to pour some water in. The X spluttered and coughed as the cold liquid dribbled down her chin. She barely recognised the sound of her own voice when the words came out.

"Th…th…they had semtex on board….cases of it," Kate took another welcomed sip of water. "Sw…Swain, get these ropes off me p-please,"

The Swain already had out a knife and was proceeding to cut the binds that tied the XO's wrists, gently pulling the rope away, and the X let out a cry when he softly pulled the rope out of the her skin.

Mike leaned in close to her, some urgency in his voice, "Kate…." He was almost whispering, "when you were on the fishing vessel, did you see anything, another boat…maybe, or a small runabout or pleasure craft, something they might have got away on?"

The XO could barely hear the words coming out of his mouth. She was so tired, her body was aching all over and her eyelids were getting so heavy, she wanted him to stop talking…

"Kate." A little louder this time and she opened her eyes suddenly to see his blue eyes staring intently at her. "Can you hear me?" he asked her questioningly.

"What? Stop shouting."

Swain gave out a loud laugh at her answer and even a smile crept across the bosses face. He lowered his voice to a whisper and asked her again about possible boats.

"Ah-erhh…no. Mmmm…" she trailed off into some other unintelligible uttering and the CO was about to move back when she whispered, "only the RHIB."

The RHIB! "Look after her Swaino," and with that he strode out and up to the bridge with a renewed vigour in his step, and the X, with a sigh, just as quickly closed her eyes and let the safety of the ship enclose her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry it took me a few days to up date, chapter 14 also coming along soon :) ...AM**

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><p>Mike Flynn stepped onto the steel floor of bridge, liking the way it felt underneath his feet; "I have the ship."<p>

"Captain has the ship aye," replied a relieved Charge as the boss leaned pennsively into the captain's chair.

"What are you thinking sir," Dutchy saw the look in the COs eye, in control and in command of himself again and wondered at his thoughts.

"I'm thinking, considering we are now only 10 nautical miles off shore, Cruise has transferred the semtex to a smaller boat…as in our RHIB. What have we got on radar?"

"Anything and everything sir. There must be at least twenty boats on screen right now, being a weekend and so close to shore."

'Well, we need to narrow them down. Anything of a smaller nature?"

"Pretty much all of them sir,"

The Captain let out a frustrated sigh. "Well they had to go somewhere. Dutchy, what we have got on land? I imagine they'll want to go ashore where they are offered a semblance of protection from prying eyes."

"There's a inlet eight clicks from our position which would offer that sir."

"It's worth a shot. Bring us closer Charge. Dutchy, prepare for a land-based search. Full Kevlar, extra plates.

…

Mike stepped into the wardroom to check on his executive officer. He already had on his kevlar vest when he raised an eyebrow to the 'swain and softly asked, "how is she?"

"She's suffering from exhaustion more than anything sir. I've patched her up as best I can; she needed a few stitches on her cheek and lower back. I would advise a CT scan when we are back to port sir…she could have possible skull fracture."

Mike looked down at her; her cheek was black from where she had been struck so violently. "Very good, give me a minute will you?"

As the Swain stepped quietly out of the wardroom and closed the door, Mike reached over and took her hand. Her wrists were wrapped tightly in bandages, covering the scars of the past day and his thoughts went back to her in that hold, strung up on a boat hook. He closed his eyes for a second as he remembered the fear, the panic when she didn't respond, and being driven, driven, like he was possessed, up the ladder and out into the warm afternoon sun. They had been given a second chance. He wondered what that meant. Had they really? And if they had, what was he going to do about it?

"You had me worried Kate," he whispered softly as he bent down and brushed his lips lightly over her forehead. "I'll see you soon."

Five minutes later he was speeding towards the inlet, with only one thought in his mind.

…

As they approached landfall, the RHIB's slowed, hugging the red mangrove trees which were populated along the water's edge, offering an element of cover as they powered deeper into the inlet. Slowly searching, looking for any sign of their second RHIB. Suddenly, fifty metres in front of them a tail of grey was spotted by Two-Dads, poking out of the thick mangroves bursting from the bank. Dutchy cut the engine as they floated the last five metres in under their own momentum.

On the other side of the bank, the overgrowth cleared and low scrub reached up to large gum trees growing over the rocky red earth. Mike looked around for any kind of sign of which direction Cruise and Ahmen might have gone, knowing they would not have gone far with cases of semtex to carry. They had to be going for another boat. Mike pulled out his map to take a second look at the coastline.

"Ok, listen up. There's a small marina just ten minutes from our position, it's highly likely they're transferring to another boat. It might be a recreational boat, something that blends in, small and fast, like a bayliner or buccaneer, so stay sharp. And remember, these people are armed and dangerous and carrying explosives, so watch out for each other. Two-Dad's you're with me, RO, Bird, you're with team Bravo. Stay in radio contact"

Silently, and quickly, they moved like a fire through the trees.


	14. Chapter 14

Within ten minutes of double-timing it through the trees they were at the edge of the marina, taking cover behind a group of office buildings which sat on the high side of the bay. A path to the left sloped gently down to the first row of boats, 'A' pier, and beyond that B, C, D, E and F piers followed behind like marching soldiers. To describe the marina as small was an understatement. There were at least 200 boats moored, lined up neatly, row upon row of pontoons stretching out into the bay. A look of surprise quickly changed to determination on the CO's face, as he scanned each pier through his binoculars looking for any sign of suspicious movement…looking for Cruise.

Dutchy patted him on the back and Mike followed his finger, pointing to a large derelict boat shed perched close to the water, which provided easy access to the pontoons. Its tin roof had rusted over, and several of the windows were smashed in, leaving shards of glass sticking up from the sills. Its appearance was in complete opposition to the marina itself, which was pristine and brand new, and a red sticker on the side showed it was set for demolition.

While team Bravo moved towards the rear entrance the CO and Two-Dad's approached from the front, using the side of the marina office for cover as they approached two large corrugated doors that lead into the boat shed.

Mike crouched down beside the iron doors, listening intently for any sign of movement inside, but hearing none, he beckoned to Two Dad's to pull open one of the doors and he slipped in, pistol at the ready, Leo following close on his heels.

The CO had barely slipped through the door when semi-automatic fire opened up and bullets started to rain down round them.

…

Suddenly Mike was thrown backwards against the corrugated iron wall inside the boat shed as three bullets from the semi-automatic slammed into his chest, knocking him to the ground. Two-Dad's instantly returned fire, taking cover behind a metal drum that sat just a few metres inside the door. Through his radio he could hear Dutchy calling for Charlie 8-2 to report, his voice cutting through the air as the gunfire went silent.

"Bravo 8-2 this is Tango 8-2, we're taking fire!" Two-Dad's was yelling into his radio as if the noise of the gunfire was still around him, panicking as he looked from left to right trying to figure a way to retreat back out the door. He called out to the CO; "Boss…" _"Boss" _he said more urgently this time, looking to Mike for some kind of direction, for him to take charge and see them all out of it alive, but he didn't respond.

Two-Dad's looked back to the door, he thought about it for a second, for a brief second the thought of saving himself drifted through his mind. He cursed under his breath and, opening fire in the direction of his assailants, he reached the CO in a matter of seconds. Grabbing him under the arms, he dragged him out of the shed and to safety.


	15. Chapter 15

Mike came too with start, clutching at his chest in agony where the bullets had struck him, burrowing into the fabric of his vest, stopped only by the Kevlar plates. He winced, feeling the damage done to his rib cage. As his head cleared he could hear a gurgling sound, and looking to himself, he quickly ran his hands over his chest before he realised it wasn't coming from him…

"Two-Dads!" he rushed over to the leader's side, whose mouth was gaping open as he gagged for air. Blood was pouring out of a hole in his neck, and Mike wrapped his hands tightly around it. From inside the shed he could hear the gunfire open up again, and he looked to the radio to call to team Bravo, but had no spare hands to grasp it.

…

Two-Dads could feel the CO's tight grip around his wound. He was talking to him the whole time, talking and talking but all Leo could hear was the sound of the ocean. He opened his eyes wide to take in the daylight.

Suddenly with a flourish the iron doors to the boat shed burst open and Madeline Cruise came running out, Uday Ahmen following close behind, laying a burst of covering fire back into the boat shed where clearly Dutchy and his team had approached from the rear.

Mike looked up with a start to see the pair making their escape, both carrying a case of semtex in one hand, and an automatic weapon in the other. He looked desperately to his own weapon by his side, but he couldn't move. His hands were clasped around Two-Dad's neck and he was the only thing stopping him from bleeding out. Cruise just ran by him, as if they weren't even there, running towards the pier as Two-Dad's quietly slipped into the blackness. His last thought was of his Mum. He wished he could tell her he loved her before his eyes faded and his head slumped against the boss's hand.

"Come on Leo…stay with me son." Mike was yelling at his leading seaman, "Two-Dads!…" but it was too late, his voiced cracked at the realisation that Leo Kosov-Meyer would not be coming back.

…

Dutchy, RO and Bird stepped cautiously out of the boat shed, pistol's raised, and expecting a burst of gunfire to come at them again, but there was none. All they saw was the CO sitting back, looking stunned down at one of his sailors, dead.

"Boss?" a look of horror crossed Dutchy's face as he saw the blood stained hands of his commanding officer. At that instant Mike snapped out of his daze, picked up his weapon and ran towards the pier. "Dutchy! On me." And ignoring the pain in his chest, he sprinted down towards the pontoon...


	16. Chapter 16

**Ok so it's been a week, ooops...I've been on holiday. I am sure you can forgive me, I was skiing in Queenstown (hehehe) and yes, it's been snowing. But has allowed me plenty of time to think about how this story might end...I think maybe five or six more chapters? Here's the next one :) ...AM**

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><p>Kate slowly opened her eyes and it took her a good few seconds to remember where she was as she adjusted to the sudden brightness. She was staring at the light above her on the wardroom ceiling. Back on Hammersley, safe, home. She could feel the tension in her arms where she had hung, and been pulled, from the chain attached to the boat hook and her wrists had the dull residual burn where the ropes had cut in.<p>

She wasn't sure how long she had been out, but she sure as hell wasn't going to lie around while Madeleine…her mind suddenly came alert at remembering her conversation with Madeleine Cruise. _ "I'll show them what causalities of war mean…" _Kate shuddered. _God, how long had she been out!_

She threw the blanket off her and swung her legs over the side of the wardroom table and sat up, instantly regretting it. She felt like she was going to pass out again. _Her head, why did her head hurt so bad? _She brought her hand gingerly up to her cheek, and could feel the skin broken and swollen. Swain had put some gauze over where he had stitched her up, and she winced as she remembered Ahmen whispering in her ear, just before he slammed his fist into her face. Anger suddenly crossed her tired features; _Well, I'm not going to sit around here and do nothing. _She pulled the IV out of her arm with a quick tug and stood up, shakily making her way out to the passageway and up towards the bridge.

…

Swain turned around to see the XO stepping onto the bridge. Well, less stepping, more like dragging herself up the stairs and he immediately prepared to chastise her for being up and around. But before he could even get a word out, Kate gave him a _'don't even try it' _look and loudly proclaimed, "I'm fine Swain, honestly I feel fine."

"Well, you look terrible. And you're supposed to be resting.." he grabbed her by the arm to try and manoeuvre her back down towards the wardroom, but she just ignored the gesture and using her most authoritative voice asked him where they were at with tracking Madeline Cruise and the cases of semtex. Swain gave a sigh. He knew it would be useless trying to get her to do as she's told.

"The CO and boarding crew are conducting a land-based search of the narrow inlet ma'am. They found the missing RHIB and are making their way to a newly built marina. The boss thinks they might be transferring to another boat to make their getaway."

Suddenly the radio crackled to life and Mike's voice rang out across the bridge ordering the RHIB's helmsman to double-time it around to the marina. He sounded stressed, out of breath. Kate could hear the change in his voice, and her heart spiked a few beats faster.

"Charlie-8-2 this is X-Ray 8-2. Come in over."

"Charlie-8-2 this is X-Ray 8-2. Come in over."

"Charlie-8-2 this is X-Ray 8-2. Radio Check"

Silence. _What is going on over there?_

…

The CO and Dutchy sprinted down towards the pier as if possessed. Mike could almost hear the pounding in his chest as his heart screamed at the sudden surge of adrenaline. His mind flashed back to Two-Dad's face, his vacant face, staring up into the sun. Only one person was responsible for that, he thought, and anger surged through him, propelling him onwards, the floating boards of the pontoon sloshing up and down as his feet pounded down the pier.

But they were too late. An outboard was already reversing out of its mooring, and as he and Dutchy arrived at the now empty space Madeline Cruise punched it, the outboard motor bit savagely into the water and propelled them forward like a rocket. Dutchy opened fire on them, but they were too fast, they were too late, and they were gone. Mike leaned forward, his hands resting on his knees as he gasped for air. He could hear his radio buzzing in his ear. _Kate. _He felt a surge of relief flow through him.

"This is Charlie 8-2" he spoke haltingly while he sucked in mouthfuls of oxygen. "We're ok. Cruise is on her way towards you, they're on a small bayliner outboard, track them on the EOD, and we'll be with you in 10 minutes. Out."

As he stood up he could see Stainsey on the RHIB coming towards him from the other side of the marina. He ordered Bird and RO to head back to the missing RHIB and arrange to bring it back to Hammersley. His thoughts went back to Two-Dads.

Suddenly exhausted, he trudged back up to the rusty boat shed and with a heavy heart they carried his body back to the RHIB. In funeral silence, they headed back towards the ship.


	17. Chapter 17

Kate was waiting when the RHIBs arrived safely back to HMAS Hammersley. She had known Mike Flynn for a long time, shared so many intimate moments with him and some of her deepest thoughts and her gut told her something was wrong. Most wouldn't have given it a second thought, but she knew Mike. She could sense it in his voice. It was that feeling that compelled her to drag herself down to the boat deck, and she saw it in his eyes as soon as he stepped aboard.

Charge, Dutchy, RO, Bird and Swain had gathered too, lining up on both sides of the hatch in an impromptu honour guard and silently watching as Two-Dad's body was taken down to cold storage. No one spoke. Bird let out a soft cry, comforted by Dutchy, and everyone just stared in disbelief. Mike felt compelled to break the spell.

"I know this is not an outcome anyone could have predicted. Two-Dad's…" his voice, straight back and square shoulders, started to break, but he looked over at Kate and regained the strength to go on. "Two-Dad's died saving my life. We owe him. I owe him," he said softly, "And we cannot rest until his killers have been brought to account."

"I know it's a lot to ask. But we have to find the strength to go on, to finish the job, there's too much at stake. So I'm asking all of you to put your minds again to the task at hand."

"We're with you boss." Charge said, a tear forming in the corner of his eye.

"Me two," was the response from Swain

"We all are sir," Dutchy replied as the team quietly shuffled back to their work and Mike gave the order to steam full speed ahead in pursuit of their prey. He wasn't going to let them get away a second time.

…

Back in his cabin Mike relayed the day's developments back to Commander White. On the bridge Dutchy was tracking the outboard motor on the EOD and trailing at a distance far enough away not to arouse suspicion. Luckily the Hammersley had a top speed of 25 knots, which was more than enough to keep up with a 60 horsepower outboard engine. Cruise should have stolen a faster boat!

Maxine had relayed a little bit of new information herself. "The bodies you found on the FFV were all members of Uday's family, including his brother's wife, their son and their 14 year old daughter." Maxine's voice was rather matter-of-fact. "Evidence pulled by the Feds showed they all died from gunshot wounds. And guess who the gun belongs too?"

"Cruise?" it wasn't a difficult stretch for Mike to make the connection.

"How'd you guess Mike? She's obviously not going to any great lengths to hide her involvement which suggests her and Ahmen intend to make their move soon. "

"Any idea of possible targets?"

"Not yet. We found a laptop on Mohammed Ahmen's yacht, it was smashed to pieces, but the Fed techs are trying to recover the data. It's possible Uday's brother found out about his plan, and Uday had him silenced."

"Sounds feasible….Uday commandeered one of his brother's ships, The Newton. Maybe he killed him when he wouldn't willingly let him take it."

"Either way, we need to find out the target. Lives are at stake here Mike."

"I am aware of the stakes Maxine. Let me know if the tech's find anything."

Mike hung up and stared pensively at the receiver, despite his speech on the boat deck earlier, he couldn't stop thinking about Two-Dads. So many times that kid had rubbed him the wrong way. He nearly kicked him out of the navy twice. He couldn't help but give a sad smile remembering when he bought that stupid monkey on board, or when he stole a crocodile. He was nothing but trouble…but when it came down to it, he had stepped up. He gave his life for another. Not just anyone..._for him_. Mike let out a shaky sigh, trying to contain his emotions; he had to be strong for the crew. A knock at the door quickly pulled him back to into reality.

"Hey," Kate poked her head into the doorway, "you ok?"

"Yeah," but Mike gave her a look that said something else so she stepped into his cabin and closed the door and leaned back against it. She was suddenly very conscious about how she looked, bruised and broken and trapped on impulse in a very small room one step away from Mike Flynn.

He reached out and took her hand and she stepped closer still. He leaned forward and rested his weary head on her stomach. So much had happened that day. He'd found Kate, fearing her dead, hanging from a boat hook, alive. And he'd been with Two-dad's very much alive who within a heartbeat was dead. He let out a sigh. No words were spoken between them. They didn't need too, all the conversation they were having right there without words was enough.

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><p><em>Would love to hear your reviews so far (adds such encouragement!) And tell me what you want to hear more of and I will incorporate it into the story! ...AM<em>


	18. Chapter 18

Mike sat there for what felt like an eternity, just leaning on her, his head resting softly on the fabric of her uniform. She had her hands on his head, stroking his hair. He felt the stress and tension that had been building for the past two days, all fade away. He looked up to her face, his heart aching, and she cupped his head in her hands and gave him a sad smile. Within a a matter of seconds, flustered, he quickly pulled away and Kate recoiled back as the awkwardness between them opened up like a canyon.

"Kate….I…" He softly started to say, regret in his voice, when his phone let out a shrill ring through the room that made them both start. The interruption saw Kate slip silently out the door while Mike quickly answered.

"Mike Flynn"

RO came on the phone immediately; "Sir, I've got Commander White on line in the COMMCEN," and Mike made his way swiftly to the secure door where Leading Seaman Robert Dixon was the master of his own domain.

…

"Maxine, Mike. Tell me you've got some good news."

"Good to hear your voice too Mike, and yes, I do. The feds managed to pull some emails off Mohammad Ahmen's laptop Kingston found on his yacht. The day before he was killed his wife emailed her mother, worried about what Uday wanted with her husband. She mentions his desire to borrow one of her husband's boats. But get this; the log book of the Newton records the crew tracking another ship."

"Which one?"

"A Japanese freighter called the SS Fukiyama, and the cargo Mike, is radioactive waste." That final statement hung in the air like a death sentence.

"To make a dirty bomb?" Mike replied, saying out loud what they already thought, as if it made it more real.

"We think so. It's the only way for them to get the material they need to convert the semtex into something far more deadly. ASIO is confident they don't already have it."

"Like they were confident in the integrity of one of their agents?" Mike spat that last bit out as he thought of Cruise.

"Yes...well...who are we to argue?" she relied rather sarcastically. "The legislation to convert an ex-military site in the Northern Territory was passed in 2005 Mike, it just got operational this year. The Fukiyama is the first overseas ship to transport waste to the facility. It's all been hush hush."

"I guess the government doesn't want the Australian people to know about their foreign dumping ground."

"You need to continue to track Cruise and Ahmen, if they move on the Fukiyama, you have the green light to board. Take them down Mike, any means necessary. The Prime Minister herself has given the nod."

Mike replaced the handset, and at the rush, made his way back to the helm. They finally had the upper hand, and he wasn't going to waste it.

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><p><em>Short chapter but uploaded anyway, hope you enjoy. PS true story about the nuclear waste dump in the NT ... historical fiction? Bahahahaha ...AM<em>


	19. Chapter 19

**_I want to dedicate this chapter to New Zealand SAS trooper Cpl 'Dougie' Grant, who was killed Friday after being shot by an insurgent during an operation to rescue hostages at the British Council cultural centre in Afghanistan. _**

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><p>Mike strode onto the bridge and hastily asked RO to report on the location of the SS Fukiyama, detemination in his voice: "Have Navcom sent through the coordinate's RO?" The XO got up from the Captain's chair but the CO quickly ushered her back down with a firm nod.<p>

"Yes sir, but…." RO paused while he recalculated its location, a look of confusion coming across his face.

"What is it RO?"

"Sir, the coordinates put that vessel almost 200 nautical miles east of Darwin, on a direct heading. But the direction of the Cruise outboard has them on a heading to HMAS Cairns sir. "

"Are you sure about that RO?"

"Positive, no mistake, I triple checked it sir," Robert fastidiously remarked.

Mike moved over to the EOD to take a closer look at the outboard in the distance, which had been hugging the coastline for the past hour. The fact that it was nowhere near the Fukiyama told him it either wasn't their intended target and Navcom have got it wrong, or it is the intended target and the Hammersley was tracking the wrong boat.

"What are you thinking sir?" the X saw the questioning look on his face.

"I think we need to get closer to that boat. Dutchy, take us in. We need to take them down now. X, pipe boarding stations, I'll lead this one."

"Sir, I'm good to go, I feel fine. I'm rested, I feel fresh." The XO was eager to get back into the hunt. She felt like she had let Cruise get the drop on her, and she wanted to make it right, not to mention the young girl she found dead on the FFV, and Ahmen...Ahmen whispering in her ear. She thought of Two-Dad's in a body bag...NO, this was personal.

"Not this time X, I let Cruise go last time, I want to see it finished," Kate saw the look in the COs eyes, and reluctantly nodded her head.

Within five minutes the Hammersley had closed the gap of ocean between them and the outboard, the RHIB was lowered into the sea as the word came through, "Insert, insert, insert."

…

As the RHIB sped closer towards their target Mike could only see one person on board,and breathed a sigh of relief when it was Uday Ahmen. Like a lot of small outboard boats, there was a possibility Cruise was in the forward cabin by the bow of the boat, and the CO gave a warning to the team to watch out for her and cover the forward hatch from the RHIB.

As they approached Ahmen opened fire with an automatic weapon, spraying bullets across the ocean that harmlessly popped into the sea, as his boat ducked and bobbed across the waves. Dutchy and Mike fired back and Uday Ahmen fell to the floor of the boat deck. Within seconds the two of them were onboard.

"Don't move Ahmen. It's over." Dutchy had his pistol raised, pointing straight at Ahmen who was halfway through the hatch that led to the only cabin on board, in the bow of the boat, blood pouring from a wound in his chest.

Mike had already jumped up onto the bow and was lifting the exterior hatch. He lowered himself through the forward hatch, gun at the ready, expecting Madeline Cruise to be waiting but all he saw was Uday Ahmen's outstretched hand, reaching into the stowage on the boat floor.

He reached him, crossing the small space of the cabin in a second, jamming the gun into the side of his face and placing the heel of his boot on his wrist.

"Don't move Ahmen. Show me your hands."

Slowly Ahmen raised his other hand, a smirk spreading across his features and Mike instantly saw why. Within the side stowage, on a small red LCD screen a timer was ticking down. 10 seconds.

He heart skipped a beat, realising time was almost up. "BOMB! BOMB! BOMB!" he yelled "Move the RHIB, MOVE MOVE MOVE" thinking immediately to the rest of his team.

"6 SECONDS!" he yelled as he as he stepped over Ahmen's bloody body and without giving his smiling face a glance he and Dutchy launched themselves off the back of the boat as the outboard exploded into a thousand pieces.

…

Kate was watching from the bridge, a pair of binoculars glued to her face when she saw the outboard explode, not a huge explosion but enough to obliterate the small boat so only the flotsam remained.

"X-Ray 8-2 this is Sierra 8-2, we've got people in the water!"

"Are they ok? Report Swaino" her voice urgently bursting through the radio.

"We're searching for them now ma'am, standby"

…

Dutchy burst up through the water, gasping for oxygen, the sea around him ablaze as the oil floating on the water burned. He could hear Swain calling out and raised his arm above his head to try and get their attention. He immediately swirled around, searching for the boss and found him straightaway floating face down about five metres to his right. He covered the ground swiftly, arm over arm, and grabbed him from behind. He raised his arm again and shouted over to the RHIB.

"Boss! _Boss! _He was yelling in his ear but getting no response, ripping off his glove, he felt for a pulse. _He's not breathing._ Repositioning the CO in the crux of his left arm, he pulled his head back and holding his nose, breathed air into his lungs.

"Come on boss, don't do this to me" Dutchy breathed as he pushed another mouthful of air into the CO's mouth. Suddenly he came around, coughing and spluttering and heaving into the water, gulping mouthfuls of air. "I've got ya boss. We're all good. We're all fine," Dutchy said as he reassured himself.

Relieved, the RHIB arrived a second later and they were hauled from the water.

…

As they arrived back on Hammersley, Mike ignored Swain's request to check him over and moved straight off the boat deck and into the changing station. He had to get back into the pursuit. There was only one pack of semtex rigged on the outboard and no Madeline Cruise. They had spent the last couple of hours tracking Ahmen. God knows where Cruise was at this point, or how she slipped away, but he knew where she would be heading and he knew she had enough semtex to start a small war. He gingerly felt his ribs below his vest as he removed the Kevlar plates and radio from his soaking body. The impact from the blast hurling him into the water felt like hitting concrete.

"If you won't let me examine you properly, then let me just do a quick check sir," the Swain already had a pen light out and up to the CO's face, shining the light into his eyes.

"I don't have a concussion Swaino, just wet is all"

"You really should let him check you out; Dutchy said you weren't breathing when he found you." Kate was leaning against the door to the change room, a concerned look furrowed on her face.

"I'm fine X, it was just a bit of salt water," Mike insisted, "we don't have time to muck around, we need to be heading in the direction of the Fukiyama."

"We already are sir; I gave the order as soon as the RHIBs were alongside." Mike loved it that she could pre-empt his every order and he gave her a wry smile, "Alright…alright," he conceded, "what do you want to check? I'm fine, just a few bruised ribs. "

Swain reached in under the boss's shirt and gently pressed along his ribcage, causing the CO to immediately recoil back and he gave them both a self-conscious look.

"Definitely more than a few bruised ribs sir, more like one or two broken ones." Swain said, giving him a look that clearly showed the first medic was telling him off.

"They were already sore where I took three in the chest is all; the impact from hitting the water just inflamed them. I'm fine," Mike persisted. "I'll get an x-ray when we get back to base, until then we have a serious job to finish."

The Swain threw his hands frustratingly up into the air, and looked at his CO and then over at the X. "The pair of you are unbelievable" he said exasperatingly as he walked out the door. Kate looked over at Mike and nodded, slowly acknowledging the same thoughts, knowing the stakes...knowing the danger...knowing the death of a shipmate. Knowing that the lives of thousands of innocent people could be at risk. Kate knew it as much as the CO did...that they had to stop her. That both would walk through fire to bring Cruise down.

* * *

><p><em>May take me a while now to update as I really want to finish the story line off strong, so will try and work on it :)<em>


	20. Chapter 20

"SS Fukiyama this is Australian warship Hammersley calling you on VHF channel one nine. Do you copy over." Robert Dixon spoke into the radio, perched at his station on the bridge, but only got static back in return.

"SS Fukiyama this is Australian warship Hammersely calling you on channel one nine. Come in, over… I'm not getting any response sir," the RO sounded almost bored.

"Keep trying RO." The CO went back to the radar, watching the green line make its full circle, pulsing as it went over a dot on the screen. They had made radar contact with the Fukiyama but raising them on the radio was proving futile, which suggested one of two things: either their radio was broken, or they were already too late.

"How far to steam Dutchy?"

"We should be on them in an hour sir," came the Bosun's quick response.

"Let me know when we have them on EOD." The CO ducked back down the stairs, making his way to the galley. His stomach was rumbling, and it felt like he hadn't eaten in days. He hadn't showered either, he hadn't had a chance. No one had. Every mind on the ship was focused on one thing and one thing only. Cruise.

He stepped into the galley to grab himself a sandwich to see that Kate was already there, sitting on the bench, a feast laid out in front of her, devouring a sandwich of her own. She picked up the other half of her sandwich and handed it over to him.

"What's in it?"

"Chicken surprise," Kate said with a sly grin.

"I've had enough surprises for one day thanks X," Mike took a couple of mouthfuls and gingerly pulled himself up onto the bench beside her. There was an awkward silence between them before he started to speak...

"Listen, Kate…" Mike swallowed down the last of his sandwich while he collected his straying thoughts together. "A lot has happened over the last couple of days. And…you know, it got me thinking. Well, more like realising how short life is, and how…how things can suddenly change." His voice dropped down into a whisper, suddenly feeling self aware sitting there on the bench in the galley. "And, well, I don't know why you suddenly called it quits between us, and I don't know what is going to happen by the time this day is through so before I lose my nerve I want you to know that my feelings for you are unchanged…" he looked up at her shyly, holding his breath as if the next one would see his world fall down around him. "And they're not going to change. So…so, if you still feel the same way as you did a couple of months ago just say so and I won't mention it again."

Kate looked down at her hands, and her eyes started to gloss over. She looked back up at him and tilted her head, feeling the regret building in her heavy heart.

"I couldn't let you give up the Navy," she softy whispered. He covered her hand with his own, and gave her a soft serious look. "I would have," he whispered, "I would have for you."

Suddenly their solitude was interrupted by a call over the loud speaker, "CO and XO to the bridge," and they were pulled from their thoughts.

…

The SS Fukiyama steamed smoothly across the EOD screen, showing no signs of any kind of distress. The 2000 tonne purpose built ship was designed to carry 17 used fuel flasks each containing 28 canisters of vitrified nuclear waste. Cruise would only need to get her hands on one of these glass canisters in order to convert the semtex into a dirty bomb that could be carried in a backpack. It almost seemed too easy.

Zooming in on them on the EOD while Hammersley kept her distance, they couldn't see any evidence of trouble. The ship had maintained her course for the last several hours as she slowly chugged her way towards Darwin. RO had, unsuccessfully, tried to reach them on the radio.

"Do you think we should wait until nightfall, take them down under cover of darkness?" the X looked over at Mike questioningly.

"I dunno X. Cruise could already be on board, and the fact that we can't hail them…I think we need to board sooner rather than later," as Mike looked with concern at the ship on his screen.

"I'm ready to go now sir," Kate said eagerly, looking again at the Fukiyama through her binoculars, scouring the decks, looking for any kind of movement, but there was none.

"I'm leading this one X," Mike gave her a cool look and waited for what he knew was inevitably coming, and the look on his XO's face said it all.

"A word sir?" Kate pulled her head in the direction of the stairs and Mike followed her down to the officers mess and closed the door. Before she even had a chance to demand she be allowed to lead the boarding party Mike cut her off…

"No."

"No?" Kate retorted back, incredulously.

Mike put his hands up defensively before she could continue. "I'm not arguing with you on this one Kate. The risks are too high; I can't ask anyone else to lead this but myself."

"Really?" Kate gave him a look that told him she didn't believe a word of it. "And what about the fact that you are clearly injured? You don't think that _that_ is a mitigating factor to suggest that you are, in fact, not the best person to lead this?"

"Oh come on Kate, speak for yourself!" he said exasperatingly. "Yesterday I pulled you down off a boat hook and your face looks like you've been hit by a truck. Not to mention the fact that Swain thinks you could have skull fracture."

"I don't have a bloody skull fracture!" Kate threw her hands up into the air, and as the ridiculousness of their argument began to take hold Mike started to laugh at her, a grin forming across his mouth, causing Kate's shoulders to slump in defeat.

"So, you don't think this has anything to do with our conversation earlier?" she asked quietly, raising her eyebrow at him?

Mike avoided her gaze and quietly said no, but the reality was she was too important to him to put her in harm's way. He had made up his mind.

"I need you on the ship," he said, his look almost begging her to agree. "And when this is all over, we'll talk ok. But for now, I _need_ you on the ship." Kate simply nodded, turned, and walked back up to the bridge.


	21. Chapter 21

"Vessel on my port bow, this is Australian warship Hammersley, stop, or heave to, I intend to board you," Charge called out over the loud hailer as they steamed up behind the Fukiyama.

"Vessel on my…" Charge began to hail again, when the Fukiyama clearly began to slow down, coming to a complete halt in a matter of minutes. A look of surprise crossed the Chief Engineers face, "Well, that was easy boss."

Doubt suddenly sprang into Mike's head, _maybe Cruise hadn't reached her yet_ but he thought too, that it was a strange coincidence that they had had no response on the radio. Within five minutes a contingent of Hammersley crew were climbing on board, and made their way quickly to the wheelhouse, which was elevated off the main deck allowing the Captain to have an unrestricted 360 view of the ocean. He couldn't afford to go a-ground with the type of cargo that he carried. Within seconds, a tiny Japanese man started making his way down the bridge ladder to meet Mike Flynn and Dutchy anxiously waiting below.

The little man bowed, he was dressed in the crisp white uniform of the British-owned Pacific Nuclear Transport Company that own and operate several such ships, and introduced himself as the Master of the vessel. His English was surprisingly good, if not heavy with accent, and he seemed experienced and serious, as one should be when transporting dangerous cargo.

Mike didn't waste a moment. "Captain, I am Commander Mike Flynn of HMAS Hammersely, sir we have been trying to hail you over the radio for the last two hours…"

The Japanese Captain seemed to sigh and nod his head, "Hai, we have had problem with our radio, but my technician he think he can fix soon."

Mike held up a picture of Madeline Cruise, "Sir, we believe this woman is a significant threat to you and your crew and may be attempting to come aboard to access the enriched uranium carried on this ship. Have you been approached by any boats, or noticed anything unusual?"

"No….no," the little man shook his head, "we no see anyone, no problem here."

"Well, I'd like your permission to search the ship sir, specifically the fuel flasks secured in the hold."

The little man nodded his head, and gestured with his hand that the ship was Mikes. He called over to another man, this one dressed in orange overalls, a nuclear symbol clearly marked on his back that made Charge take a few steps backwards and the CO gave him a funny look. Charge just shrugged, he had always been suspicous.

"This man he our nuclear speciarest. He take you." And with another bow, the Captain started to climb his way back up to the bridge.

…

The orange overalled man led Mike, Dutchy and Charge down through a hatch positioned almost in the middle of the ship, where large sweeping steps marched down deck upon steel deck right to the bottom of the hold. He stopped on the first deck and pointed to the first row of huge metal transport flasks that contained the nuclear waste, five in total stretching across the hold, and moving to the next deck down, another five stretched out underneath and so on, for another two decks.

"Is this safe?" Charge raised his eyebrows, when he saw each flask had again, the nuclear warning sign emblazoned on it.

"Oh it perfectly safe," the nuclear specialist gave Charge a wide grin. "Each flask contain several shell, with gamma and neutron shielding, as well as an outer shell. And within all those, the glass canister that contain the actual uranium are perfectly safe too provide they remain unbroken. All these transport flasks are designed to do is ensure those glass canister are protected from breaking."

"What happens if they break?" Charge shakily asked, a look of fear crossing his solid features.

"Oh, you pretty much say bye bye." The Japanese man let out a roar of laughter and beckoned them again to follow, as he swept down the second row of flasks.

"How would someone go about getting to these glass canisters? "Mike asked.

"It not hard, but you need muscle. Each flask has a shock absorber cap see here," as he pointed to a two metre wide orange end-cap covering one of the metal flasks. "It removable," he proudly proclaimed.

"Well!" Charge exclaimed, "Why don't we just make it easy for them!"

The Japanese man shrugged, "It designed for safety only, not for thief. That what you here for eh?" and he roared with laughter again that Charge gave Dutchy a _I don't think this guy gets out much_ look.

"So what?" Charge proclaimed, "We have to open every single one?"

"No, no no, see here," the nuclear specialist pointed to a seal covering the orange end-cap, "This here is a safety seal. Safety seal broken, means transport flask has moved in transit. Means when it get unloaded, men take better precaution. Also mean, cap been opened."

"Right, everyone take a deck each, I'll take D Deck, Dutchy you take C Deck, Charge you take this Deck, RO, Top Deck, I want each of you to check and double-check every seal. No mistakes." And with that they disappeared through the metal hold, their torches probing, hoping like hell to see every seal intact.

It only took a minute or two before Dutchy called out through the radio; "Boss, I got a broken seal here," and within seconds Mike had pounded his way back up to C Deck, calling out to the nuclear specialist to follow, who arrived at the flask very ashen-faced, a look very far from laughter.

"What now? How do we check the contents?" Mike asked the Specialist and when he got no response, he grabbed him by the collar and pushed his body towards the orange end-cap, asking him again, but he was in shock and muttering incoherently in Japanese.

"Are you sure that's a good idea boss?" Dutchy asked, looking unsure at the seal. "It could be boobie-trapped?"

Mike let go of the nuclear specialist, who was by that point, practically blubbing, fearing that it would cost him his job. The CO ignored him completely, and turned back to his team.

"Ok, let's assume Cruise has been here. She certainly didn't move that cap on her own, so she must have inside help, stay sharp. Search the ship." He barked out the orders over the radio and they started to make their way through the ship. Probing and searching and hoping she was still on board.


	22. Chapter 22

_O-M-G I am on a roll (lol)..._

* * *

><p>They searched the entire ship and found no one. Well virtually the entire ship, as Mike, Dutchy and RO made their way up to the last bastion: the bridge. The Japanese Captain was sitting quietly in front of his navigational charts, plotting his final journey into Port Darwin. He raised his eyebrows as they stepped onto the bridge, standing again and giving a deep bow.<p>

"Find anything Commander?"

"Nothing, but you have a seal broken on one of the transport flasks," Mike said, matter-of-factly.

"This not unusual Commander…sometime ships movement can move the cargo, break the seal."

Mike didn't buy it. Something didn't sit right. Maybe it was just the language barrier, but he was certain that he had seen recognition in his eyes when he had showed him the photograph of Madeline Cruise. He decided to take the direct route.

"I think you're lying Captain. I think you have seen this woman," he said as he held up the picture of Cruise again.

"No….no no, please, I haven't please, just go…go," he tearfully replied, fear in his eyes like a caged tiger with no other way out.

"What has she got on you?" Mike asked softly

"Please…my family, she say…she say she kill my family."

"We can protect them," Mike said confidently, "I can contact the right people, and make sure they're safe. But you have to trust me. You know what will happen if she explodes that nuclear material, hundreds of thousands of innocent people will die and the fall out would be disasterous. Where is she?"

"Promise me…promise me you protect my family."

"I promise." He quickly turned to Robert, "RO, relay the names of his family members back to the ship, ask the X to pass them to Navcom, explain the situation." Turning back to the little man, he asked softly, as if she might hear, "Where is she?"

…

Two minutes later the CO and Dutchy were making their way down again, slowly moving aft, trying to take cover under the lee of the ship. RO and Charge were moving too, on the windward side, just in case she tried to slip past them. She was on a lifeboat, he had said, the No.6 lifeboat that was lashed to the side near the stern. Clever, Mike thought, she could lower the boat down and blast a massive hole in the ships side. She would not only explode the stolen uranium, but also pour thousands of units of nuclear waste into the ocean. No amount of outer or inner shell on the transport flasks could protect the glass canisters from that. It would be an environmental disaster, and if it happened in Port, a human disaster too. The loss of life would be colossal, without a doubt it would be Australia's Hiroshima.

The CO signalled Dutchy to move forward as the four of them silently surrounded the lifeboat. It was an old style life raft, with wooden battens and was covered in a taut grey tarpaulin that was lashed down on the sides. Dutchy slowly and quietly unhooked several of the lashes, and in a quick swift movement, he and Charge threw the tarpaulin back while the Boss and the RO reached forward guns pointing into the boat. "DROP YOUR WEAPON!"

Madeline Cruise jumped up with start, reaching for her gun, but before she could get a hand on it Dutchy fired a shot in her direction and she fell over the side, head first, into the turbulent water below. He rushed to the ships side but there was no trace of her as she disappeared under the waves.

"Dutchy, get a RHIB in the water, I want to see her body for myself. We're not leaving until she is recovered, understood?"

"Aye Sir," as Dutchy made his way back to the rest of team to conduct the search. _I hit her didn't I?_ He was certain of it.

…

Mike and the others watched in horror at the scene that lay before them. At one end, a bomb sat, encased in a suitcase, the lid hanging open, packets and packets of semtex packed in, wires feeding out to an LCD screen, and a delicate canister, terrible in nature, sat green-like in its glassy prison. The clock suddenly started counting down. 5 hours. Charge jumped backwards, a look of horror running over his face.

"Charge…" Mike gave him a serious look.

"Oh no, no no no no…"

"You're the only one with any kind of mechanical experience, Charge."

"But I don't know anything about bombs, sir! Five hours, that's plenty of time to get an expert out here."

Mike rolled his eyes and gave him a ridiculous look. 'Charge, I want you to _talk_ to the bomb techs. They need to know everything about it before they arrive to _disarm it."_

Charge let out an uneven sigh of relief, "I can do that sir" giving the Boss a sheepish grin.

…

Back on Hammersley, Kate sat up on the bridge, watching the movement on the ship through the EOD, and listening to the radio chatter. Relieved everyone was ok. Relieved Cruise was finally gone. But still, nervous as hell that Hammersley was only two nautical miles from what could potentially be ground zero. The prudent thing would be to put in some distance, and she was about to signal the CO on the radio and recommend she move the ship when she heard Bird arrive on the bridge with her long awaited brew. She turned around to see Madeline Cruise standing three feet away, soaking wet, a pistol steadily in her hand, pointing directly against the head of Jessica Bird.


	23. Chapter 23

Kate stood, a look of shock crossing her features, her brain running a mile a minute as she calculated the impossible. Cruise had been shot, _but_ _she wasn't shot. _Instead, swimming the two miles, _two miles, _to Hammersley. She stood there for what seemed like an age, her mouth hanging open, but quietly, and without notice, she flipped the switch on the radio comms beside her.

"It's over Madeline, we have the bomb, and it's being disarmed as we speak," She lied, but it would be soon. "There is no way out from this, please…please just put down the gun."

Jessica Bird was frozen in fear in Cruise's grip, her eyes wide and searching the XOs face, looking for a piece of certainty, anything that told her everything would be ok.

"Get behind the helm," Cruise barked, but Kate stood just as frozen, still sitting in the COs chair. "DO IT," Cruise yelled and without warning fired a shot just above Jessica's knee, causing her to cry out and collapse into Cruises grasp.

…

Mike jumped onto the RHIB with Dutchy, as they continued their search around the ship. So far there had been no trace of her, and he was beginning to doubt whether they would find her body. _He needed proof_. Or was it closure? Suddenly the XOs voice rang into their ears…"It's over Madeline…" fear struck at his heart like a bullet, and he and Dutchy looked at each other in horror as a shot rang out through the radio's crackle.

…

"Wait. WAIT!" Kate cried out in panic as Bird let out an agonising scream. "I'll do it, I'll do it, I'm at the helm, where do you want to go, I'll take you anywhere you want to go." Making her voice loud and clear and hoping like hell she could be heard on the other end of the radio. _Mike please. _She begged to herself.

But Madeline's cold demenour didn't change; she simply raised the gun and pointed at the direction of the Fuikyama. "Ram it," she said coolly.

Kate stood in shock horror at the implications of such a move. Ships of their size, they don't survive collisions, and they certainly don't when you've got a dirty bomb sitting haphazardly in a life raft. Kate lowered her eyes.

"Please…please Cruise, don't ask me to do that. I can't do that," she said softly and without warning Cruise forced Bird down onto her knees and, execution style, jammed the gun into the back of her head.

"You've got ten seconds to comply."

Tears were rolling down her face as she looked from Cruise to the ship and back again. She looked at Jessica Bird, not even 18 yet, her blood pouring from her leg onto the floor of the bridge.

"3 seconds."

"Ok ok, I'll do as you ask, I'll do it…but let her go. Please…let her go, she's just a kid. You don't need her, you've got me!" Kate exclaimed.

Cruise examined her for a second, tilting her head back, and in one swift movement she threw Bird down the bridge steps and locked down the hatch with a thud.

"Get on the helm," She menacingly said, pointing her pistol straight at the X.

She didn't argue this time. She pushed the throttle forward to activate port engines, and the Hammersley slowly edged forward towards the Fukiyama and end.


	24. Chapter 24

Mike and Dutchy sped across the oceans gap at top speed, the RHIB barely hitting the crest of each wave as they quickly covered the ground between the nuclear waste ship and the Hammersley. Two miles felt like a thousand miles as he listened painfully to the voices in his ear. _Please God, if there is a God_ but he didn't get to finish that sentence as another shot rang out on the bridge as the inflatable pulled up square against his ship's side.

…

Kate jammed the throttle down full to maximum revs and whirled around as the ship lurched forward, allowing her a brief moment to catch Cruise off guard as she stumbled headlong towards her. She grabbed for the gun and they slammed against the console underneath the front window, Madeline's outstretched hand grasping the gun as Kate reached up to her, struggling to gain a purchase against the other woman. Hand on hand, they battled for control. Falling to the floor, they were rolling and scrambling, kicking and punching, scratching and clawing, Kate's outstretched grip wrapped tightly around the gun in Madeline's hand, their muscles tensing against each other when a blast echoed through the metal room. Kate froze in that moment, feeling the power drain out of her and exhaling, she slumped down on top of Madeline Cruise. Cruise, feeling almost as exhausted, slowly pushed her off and away to the side as she regained her footing and jumped back up behind the helm… with only one thing in her mind: ramming a 270 tonne Armidale Class patrol boat into a nuclear packed dirty bomb.

...

The CO hoisted himself back on board the Hammersley before they had even had a chance to secure the RHIB and with a surge of adrenaline he drove himself in record time down the passageway to the bridge. The steps were enclosed in darkness, Jessica Bird lying at their base, whimpering while Swain, a look of absolute surprise on his face, stemmed the bleeding from her wounded knee. Breathlessly, and without even a pause, Mike Flynn, in a fluid and swift movement, kicked down the hatch and rushing up onto the bridge, unloaded his pistol without hesitation into the back of Madeline Cruise. A second later she was slumping forward over the controls, the life driven out, as she saw her own blood spray across the window in front of her. Mike grabbed her by the collar and pulled her to the floor, and grabbing the controls, shut down the port engines as Hammersley's bow inched closer to the other ships hull.

…

Kate lay on her back, her hand gently cupping where the bullet had tore through her side. She could feel her blood pooling out beside her, and she started to shiver as the pain slowly edged its way through her body. And then she saw Mike. She saw his beautiful face hovering above her and she gave him a weak smile. _Oh god Mike..._

...

"SWAIN!" Mike grabbed her up in his arms and bolted down to the wardroom, yelling at Dutchy to organise a medivac, then a second later he was shouting, "Where is HMAS Melbourne, there's a surgeon on the Melbourne, get them here now!" Barking orders so disjointedly that Swain had to yell at him to step back.

"Ahhhh RO get me fleet medical," Swain took one look at Kate and his ashen face fell…

"They're already on the line," RO said as he handed over a headset. "What can I do? Do you want me to see to Bird?" Who was now lying on the next bay, a look of horror and pain etched on her face, with her leg half bandaged.

"Yes….yes…she needs morphine, and finish wrapping that bandage," he stopped and looked back to Kate, took a deep breath, and turned to the Boss.

"I need you to help me sir, I need, ahhhh…gauze, lots of gauze," as Mike hurriedly rips open the bandages from the medical cupboard and passes them over to him. Swain grabs the COs hands and forces them onto her abdomen. "Hold it there, press hard, we need to stem the bleeding," as Kate let out a sharp cry at the sudden pressure on her wound.

Swain slaps the headset on and without taking a breath; "Sir, this is Coxswain Chris Blake…ahhh, I've got 33 year old female, GSW to the lower abdomen, she's lost a lot of blood and it's not abating. Blood pressure is...ummm, 90 over 60,"

"Ok Swain, you need to stablise her so that we can transport her back to base. Can you tell me whether or not there is any visceral damage?" the Doctor's calming voice came through the headset, and Swain breathed out a shaky sigh of relief.

"I...I don't know sir, how do I tell that?"

"You'll know if the blood is still pulsing out."

"Ummm…" Swain moved Mike's hands and tore at her shirt to reveal the soft and broken skin below. "Yes…yes it is definitely pulsing out."

"Ok, you need to make a small incision and feel inside the wound, and feel around for the bleeder. Once you locate it, you need to tie it off, ok?"

"She's still conscious sir, do I…do I give her morphine? I mean, she would need that?" he asked, hesitatingly.

The doctor's calming voice took charge again and he breathed into his ear, "Yes Swain, push in 10ccs, but you need to find the bleeder, fast."

Swain switched places with Mike, mentally preparing himself for his next move, while the CO loaded 10ccs of morphine into a syringe.

"Where do I put it Swain?"

"Ahhh, anywhere, anywhere…." He replied quickly while he picked up a scalpel, wiping the blood away with his gloved hand as the blood pumped out at each fading heartbeat.

"Tell me where!" Mike barked, looking fearfully at Kate's face. _She was so pale._

"Her neck line then, anywhere is ok, it'll do the job."

Mike leaned over her and placed his fingers gently at the top of her clavicle and quickly jabbed the needle in, slowly compressing the plunger, and he instantly felt her body relax as its contents coursed through.

_"Mike,"_ she whispered, taking in a sharp intake of breath, and he grabbed her hand, leaning over her, and gently caressed her hair. _"Shhhhh, shhhh,"_ An instant later she let out a soft moan as Swain pushed his fingers into her wound, trying to find the source of the bleeding. He knew he had only minutes before the life drained completely out of her.

"Got it! Hand me a clamp," Swain said urgently as Mike grabbed the medical tools from his bag and held them up, one by one, "no, the one that looks like a pair of bent scissors," he frustratingly replied as the CO fished them out and passed them over. Within an instant the Swain had them halfway inside the X, and then just as suddenly he stood back, tears flowing down his cheeks, as the reality of the situation before him coursed through him.

"Are you there Swain?" The doctor from Fleet medical rang through into his ear and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's done sir, I got it clamped, the blood flow has virtually halted. But, I don't have a cauterizer...she needs surgery." His voice fell, as he looked over at the blood pressure monitor, "Her BP is dropping, her heart rate is now 50," Swain said urgently, "What do I do?"

"Ok, it's because she's lost a lot of blood, first you need to inject 5ccs of Dopamine, now."

Swain rummaged through the medical supplies and immediately came up with a pre-loaded syringe, forcing the liquid straight into a vein in the XOs arm.

"Done!" he called out quickly, "What next?"

"Good, good, you need to get her IV blood. Do you carry any onboard?"

"We don't carry that kind of thing sir, but I am sure we can rustle some up from the crew," as he raised his eyes questioningly at Mike, "We need 0 positive sir"

"I'm 0 positive," RO looked up assuredly from where he had tied off Bird's bandaged leg and misreading the look on their faces he retorted, "What? You don't think I have normal blood?" but Swain was already pulling up the sleeve on his arm and sticking the needle in as ROs blood flowed like a life-saving liquid into the bag. A minute later he was hanging it up on a hook next to the XOs head and inserting the IV blood line directly into her arm.

Within a couple of minutes she started to stablise and he let out a sigh of relief, everyone did. Mike sat down unsteadily, looking down at his blood stained hands, shaking, _they came so close_.

Dutchy at that moment poked his anxious head through the door of the wardroom, "Chopper will be here in ten minutes sir," as Mike tilted his head back and let out a long sigh of relief.

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><p><em>Hope you are enjoying so far...will she live...will she die? Oh and I am not from a medical background so that stuffs all guesswork :)<em>


	25. Chapter 25

Less than an hour later the Hammersley was steaming back to HMAS Cairns with Madeline Cruise's dead body, the bomb squad was on the Fuikiyama disabling the device, and the XO and Bird would already be at base hospital. Mike sat down on his rack and stretched his hands out in front of him, they trembled, and he squeezed his fists tight again, closing his eyes briefly as Kate's pale face came into his mind. He thought back to their conversation several hours earlier. _I need you on the ship. _He had practically begged her, and yet, it still wasn't enough.

Slowly and surely, he picked up the handset from his deck and asked RO to patch him through to Commander Maxine White at Navcom.

"Mike!" Maxine's voice came through, happy to hear from him, "I trust you still have all your fingers and toes?"

"Thankfully yes," he wasted no time, "I wondered whether you had any status updates on my executive officer?"

"No, I'm sorry Mike. She's gone into surgery," a pregnant pause filled the void between them as the CO briefly rested his head on the receiver, a pained look cross his face.

"Mike?"

"I'm here Maxine…" he said softly.

"Mike I am sure…" she paused, not really sure what to say. " I am sure she will be ok, I know you care a lot about her."

"I do, Maxine." He said quietly. "I…_I love her,"_ he whispered softly.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that Mike. You're obviously exhausted and it's been an emotional day. Get some rest and I will see you when you are back in port."

Mike put the phone back on the hook and for the first time that day tears fell down his tired cheeks.

Five hours later HMAS Hammersley steamed back into port. Everybody on board had felt the effects of the last few days, all of them anxiously wanting to see their loved ones and give them a hug. Two Dad's body lay in cold storage, alongside Madeline Cruise, and Mike was already thinking about what he was going to tell his mother. He had a heavy heart, and all he wanted to do was check on Kate…but, the FEDs had arrived to take custody of the evidence, and Mike had to oversee the transfer of the bodies. Everyone else on board had gone through just as much loss as him, but as Captain, he felt he had to see it through.

Standing on the dock watching Cruise's body get loaded into the coroners van, Dutchy came up behind him and interrupted his thoughts.

"I sure am glad to see her gone boss," he said as he cheekily grinned at the CO, but he suddenly turned serious, his face like a stone. "Have you heard anything about the X?" he asked questioningly, a look of concern crossing his rugged features.

Mike looked out towards the ocean, and replied softly, "Not yet."

"Well, Charge and I have got this FED thing covered sir, I can take the ship….if, you know, you want to go see her," he said, raising his eyebrows, waiting for the boss to give him the ok.

Mike slowly nodded, "Thanks Dutchy, call me if you need me."

"Aye sir." And with that Dutchy turned and walked back up the gangway, pausing to salute the ensign as he walked back on board.

…

Mike strode onto the base hospital and he could feel the nerves coursing down through his body, eager to find out that she was ok, eager just to her voice again. He stood for what felt like an eternity waiting for the nurse to come back. He paced up and down the corridor and thumbed through a couple of women's magazines. _Who is Kim Kardashian?_ He wondered.

"Mr McGregor?" he looked up suddenly and threw the Australian Women's Weekly down on the bench, slightly embarrassed, but mostly from the stress rather than anything else.

"How is she?" he took a long intake of breath and held it, impatiently searching the doctor's face for any sign of optimism.

The Doctor could see it on Mike's face straight way, so he made sure he opened with the right words. "She's ok." And Mike exhaled a massive sigh of relief.

"She's very lucky. If the medic hadn't of acted when he did there is no doubt, she would not have survived. The surgery went well, we repaired most of the damage as best we could and the rest will heal in time." He gave Mike a sympathetic smile, "Would you like to see her?"

Mike nodded unreservedly and he followed the doctor through the double-doors into the recovery room.

"You can only have a couple of minutes; she's just come out of surgery. We'll be moving your wife to the ward soon." He said softly and Mike decided not to correct him just in case that meant he wasn't allowed in. The doctor quietly slipped out and Mike walked over to her bed and picked up her hand. An oxygen mask covered her face and wires and cables were coming out from under the sheet. The monitor next to the bed pulsed strongly and steadily and it gave him some comfort. He just stood there like that, just holding her hand, until they came back to get her and take her to the ward.

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><p><em>Final concluding chapter coming soon...please review :)<em>


	26. Chapter 26

_The final chapter is in! Ok, so I got a review that hoped the last one would be "full of fluff." Well...you can't get more fluff than this (just giving the punters what they asked for...now excuse me there is a bucket I need to be sick into :) Enjoy!_

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><p>Almost a week later, Mike helped Kate up to the door to her apartment, and in. She had, finally, been released from hospital where she had been going out of her mind with boredom. She'd even had a visit from Nikki, who was now serving as chief navigator on one of the ANZAC Class Frigates. She still felt the pain from her injuries, mostly when she laughed, which she had done a lot of in the last few days. Everyone had been through to see her, trying to keep her amused, most likely on orders from the CO. The Hammersely had been granted two weeks shore leave, after all the trauma they had been through. Which, evidently would mean counselling seasons for everyone. So far she'd managed to avoid it.<p>

She finally stepped through the door and let out an enormous sigh of relief. She couldn't wait to sleep in her own bed, away from the hospital noise and the snoring woman two beds down! Tomorrow, she thought sadly, they would bury Two Dads.

"Are you alright?" Mike asked, seeing the sudden change in mood cross Kate's face.

"Yeah, I was just thinking about Two-Dads."

Mike nodded, "Me too…I almost feel guilty. We all thought he was a slacker, in it for himself…and then, then he gives his life saving mine."

Kate took his hand, "Life's short," he whispered, and he was about to say something else when Kate stopped him.

"Wait…before you say anything, I need to say something." Mike sat down on the corner of the sofa, while she paced up and down in front of him, trying to get her straying thoughts together. She suddenly looked exhausted and stopped in front of him, resigned.

"I ummm…Mike, I am…" She struggled to get the words out, and she let out a nervous laugh, she was never good at this sort of thing, but decided to spit it out, _"I am in love with you. And_.." she breathed a heartfelt sigh, "and, I guess I was afraid. I don't want to stand between you and the Navy."

Mike tried to interrupt her but she stopped him with a quiet gesture of her hand, "I know that you said you would have…for…for me, but I just, _I can't let you do that_," she whispered, and tears started to flow down her face. Mike stood, and wrapped his arms around her.

"I told Maxine." He said rather matter-of-factly, and Kate looked up at him in surprise. "I told her on Hammersley, before we even got back to port. I told her that I loved you." He smiled down at her. "And then, when we got back into port, I told her that I loved you then too…" He said, laughing.

"And now…?" Kate asked anxiously.

"And now I have a desk job," he smiled, "Maxine's not going to bust me down over it," he smiled, "she owes me…I imagine we'll know who the new CO of Hammersley is by the end of the week." And on that last sentence he bent down gently and softly brought his lips to hers, the pain lifting from both their hearts as all the pressure of the last few days slowly melted away.

…

The following day all the crew were assembled on deck in their dress whites, to farewell their comrade and friend, Leo Kosov-Meyer. Bird was there, leaning on her crutches, her knee well on the way to recovery, it had hardened her, she thought, but the navy life was for her. Mike gave her a friendly nod as he climbed the podium. He looked down amongst his crew, and softly began to speak.

"Leo Kosov-Meyer…Two-Dads, was a well-liked member of my crew. He was always ready with a cheeky smile or a practical joke, he made the mundane tasks at sea come easy to everyone, and he kept us on our toes. I don't think I have ever met a sailor who got in as much trouble as he did." A chuckle made its way around the crowd, and Mikes smile turned to one of regret, "But Two-Dads could be counted on when it mattered most. When the chips were down, and lives were at stake, he always stepped up, and I owe my life to him," Mike voice started to break, and he looked over at Kate who gave him an encouraging smile, "I owe my life to him, and he will never be forgotten."

The Last Post rang out across the metal deck, and a lone sailor placed a neatly folded flag in his mother's lap. Everyone stood to attention, and saluting their fallen brother, they fell out and slowly dispersed.

…

"Lieutenant McGregor, can I have a word?" Maxine White caught up with Mike and Kate as they made their way back to the car park. Mike was about to carry on ahead of her when she said "You might as well stay to hear this too Mike." They both gave each other a worried look.

"You can forget about that," Maxine said harshly, "Despite the fact that you two are, well, you know…but that doesn't matter anyway as Mike…ummm Commander Flynn, has assured me nothing was going on, you know, on duty and well, I believe that. I think you are both too professional to allow it," she said rather matter-of-factly. "But that's not why I am here. I am here to tell you who your new CO is."

Mike and Kate both stood there waiting patiently, as it seemed like Maxine was enjoying herself too much for them to interrupt her. Mike finally raised his eyebrows and said, "Well?"

"The new commanding officer is Lieutenant Commander McGregor," she said with a smile, raising her eyebrows in Kate's direction, "Perhaps you've heard of her?" she said as she promptly turned, and without waiting for a response, quickly walked back to HQ.

…

A few days later they had finally taken their holiday together, taking advantage of the shore leave and, Kate being up to travelling, they booked a last minute flight to Tahiti. Walking into their beautiful villa on their own private beach, the view serenely stretched out across the crystal clear waters, with no sound other than the gentle waves lapping on the sand. It has felt so good to both of them not to have to hide their feelings anymore, and they had slipped into an easy life together.

The sun was setting on the horizon, and the sky glowed the most amazing shade of orange, as if all the love in the world had come together to this place, just for them. Kate stood on the balcony, dressed in a pretty red summer dress, a glass of wine in one hand and Mike's hand in the other. He looked over at her, _god she was so beautiful_, and he wished this moment could go on forever. Suddenly he broke the spell.

_"Kate…"_ he whispered, and she turned her head towards him. Her eyes started smiling first, and soon the corners of her mouth were moving in an upwards direction.

"I can't tell you how happy I am," she said contentedly, and Mike gave her hand a little squeeze, adding courage to his own countenance.

"Well," he said, swallowing down his nerves, "maybe I can make it even better…" he smiled and, his hand slightly trembling, he reached into his pocket. He produced a petite old-fashioned red box, as he slowly knelt down before her, and taking a deep breath, he said; "this was my grandmother's engagement ring. She said to me when I was a young man, that one day I would meet a woman who would turn my life inside out, that I would want to move mountains for, and grow old with….

"Kate, I feel like I've loved you my whole life, and…and I would be a fool not to ask you… Will you marry me?"

Kate looked down at him, a tear forming in the corner of her eye as he looked up at her questioningly. She whispered so quietly that you could hardly hear her, but with all the feeling in the world she said _"yes."_

Mike stood and gently placed the ring on her finger, "I love you," he whispered, and leaning forward his lips met hers, and they kissed in such a passionate embrace, as if the entire world had disappeared behind them. He carried her deliberately back to the bedroom, and softly laid her down on the bed.

He kissed her slowly at first, looking down at her as if he couldn't believe she was _his._ He smiled, and seeing him, she cupped his head in her hand and brought his lips back down to hers, their breaths mingling into one. He brushed her hair off her shoulders and kissed her neck, slowly removing the strap from her dress, his hand unhurriedly moving up the outside of her thigh…

The end. _Hahaha, you guys will have to imagine the rest..._


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